Councillors in Lichfield and Burntwood are being asked to support a new bill to help tackle climate change.
The motion will be proposed by Cllr Steve Norman, leader of the Labour opposition group, at the next meeting of Lichfield District Council in October. It will be seconded by Cllr David Robertson.
It asks the local authority to support the Local Electricity Bill, which plans to allow the creation of local renewable energy supply companies.
Cllr Robertson said:
“As we go back to the ‘new normal’ after COVID-19 we have a chance to rebuild our economy so it works for everyone and a local right to supply is a way of doing just that.
“By supporting this motion Lichfield District Council will have the chance to bring new green jobs to Lichfield, Burntwood and the surrounding villages as well as helping new green energy companies to tackle climate change and reducing energy costs for us all.”
Cllr Dave Robertson
The motion will be heard at a meeting on 13th October.
This is the Motion
That Lichfield District Council
(i) acknowledges the efforts that this council has made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote renewable energy by declaring the Climate Change Emergency last year and developing a Local Procurement Policy;
(ii) further recognises
• that very large financial setup and running costs involved in selling locally generated renewable electricity to local customers result in it being impossible for local renewable electricity generators to do so,
• that making these financial costs proportionate to the scale of a renewable electricity supplier’s operation would enable and empower new local businesses, or councils, to be providers of locally generated renewable electricity directly to local customers, and
• that revenues received by new local renewable electricity providers could be used to help improve the local economy, local services and facilities and to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions;
(iii) accordingly resolves to support the Local Electricity Bill, supported by many MPs from both sides of the house which, if made law, would establish a Right to Local Supply which would promote local renewable electricity supply companies and co-operatives by making the setup and running costs of selling renewable electricity to local customers proportionate to the size of the supply operation; and
(iv) further resolves to
• inform the local media of this decision,
• write to local MPs, asking them to support the Bill, and
• write to the organisers of the campaign for the Bill, Power for People, (at 8 Delancey Passage, Camden, London NW1 7NN or info@powerforpeole.org.uk) expressing its support.
Many people are selling surplus renewable electricity to the grid, although I believe government grants are no longer available.
How you could provide infrastructure to supply local users direct I find difficult to contemplate. We are all connected to the National Grid which draws its supply from many sources, including France.
To produce enough supply for Lichfield would take massive resources and acres of land.
The scheme might be well meaning but it would require expert advice to evaluate its viability. Personally I would think it a non starter.
If Lichfield District Council were to address the air pollution problem this would go some way to mitigate the CO2 and Nitric Oxide damage to health and Global Warming.
Thus far only money making projects seem to gain their interest.
It would be interesting to see the projected costs, potential returns and timescales.